Historic Ferry Crossing

This train is one of the quaint reminders of Hampshire heritage still in daily use and providing a convenient short cut from the western part of Southampton Water to the heart of the city.
It runs the 700 yard length of the historic pier at Hythe to connect with catamaran ferries in the deep water part of Southampton Water.
In fact the ferry across the water has operated between Hythe and Southampton since the Middle Ages, although the train has been in use on the electric pier railway for a mere 93 years. Before that it had previously been used in a mustard gas factory at Avonmouth.
Today the pier, it’s railway and the ferry is a Transport Heritage site, and a plaque on the shoreside of the ticket office notes that the historic ferry crossing, was first recorded in 1575, and has been accessed since 1922 by the oldest pier railway in continuous service in the world.
The pier, opened in 1881, carries a pedestrian walkway and a cycleway as well as the railway. Historians believe the railway at that time would probably have been narrow gauge and used by hand propelled rail trolleys for the transport of goods.  The railway was reconstructed in 1922 and electrified, and the current train introduced.

Today it is a lifesaver for commuters and shoppers and from Southampton it provides a fascinating short sea crossing and historic rail journey along the pier to the western waterfront as an alternative to a frequently congested longer ten mile road journey.